Atlanta — June 14, 2000

Nine University System of Georgia presidents from around the state personally delivered their requests for new campus buildings at this week’s monthly meeting of the Board of Regents.

In return, the regents approved today (June 14) a newly revised five-year Major Capital Outlay Priority List totaling $514.7 million in requested major construction projects. The capital list, composed each June by the 16-member Board of Regents, will be a major element of the regents’ Fiscal Year 2002 budget request. Submitted to the state’s Office of Planning and Budget in September, that request will be utilized by Gov. Roy Barnes in developing his budget recommendations for the next fiscal year, which will be considered by the legislature when it convenes for the 2001 Legislative Session. The updated list is the result of a full day of presidential presentations held on Tuesday at the board’s offices in Atlanta.

During these meetings, presidents from nine of the University System’s colleges and universities presented their cases during 20-minute presentations made directly to the board of regents. The revised Major Capital Outlay Projects List is designed to accommodate new funding requests from the University System’s campuses, replacing the dollar amount of projects funded in the Fiscal Year 2000 Supplemental budget with four new projects totaling $114 million. The new projects will be added to the end of the existing list.

The nine projects, totaling $213.5 million in requests, were screened from 22 proposals submitted by campus presidents. In evaluating the eligibility of the proposed projects, central office and campus staff adhered to 10 guiding principles for capital facilities approved by the Board in 1997. The regents used those same criteria to individually evaluate and rank the short list of nine capital requests.

At the meeting, the Board of Regents also approved four new payback project requests for submission with the budget, at a cost of $35 million. These also were ranked by the regents in the following priority order: a $12 million parking deck at the University of Georgia, a $5.2 million University Center at Augusta State University, the acquisition of a parking deck at Georgia State University for a cost of $2.1 million, and a $15 million parking deck project at Kennesaw State University.

“The Capital Planning component of the University System’s Comprehensive Plan has proven to be an effective tool for both the presidents and the regents to use in identifying and prioritizing the System’s growing need for new facilities,” said Chancellor Stephen R. Portch. “We have strong confidence in the process and I believe this method of establishing our highest-priority capital projects is welcomed by the Governor and the General Assembly.”

Portch emphasized that the Board’s decisions regarding capital priorities are influenced primarily by the need for facilities to accommodate existing and future enrollment growth and required academic programs.

Highest weight is given to instructional facilities, followed by academic support facilities, student support buildings, then finally administrative and infrastructure needs.

From last year’s list of 26 rank-ordered projects approved by the Board in June 1999 – the third year of the new capital planning process – the General Assembly funded the top six projects on the list for construction in its Fiscal Year 2000 Supplemental Budget at a cost of $101.8 million. While already funded for construction, those six projects still need $9.2 million in funding to pay for the loose equipment associated with their operation.

For a copy of the updated Capital Outlay Projects list, please contact the Office of Media and Publications.

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